Explanation:
Steep cliffs drop into the rugged terrain of
Melas Chasma
in this stunning view from
the Mars Express
spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet.
At a scale of 16 meters per pixel, the image
data from the orbiter's High Resolution Stereo Camera
offers evidence that
volcanic activity, water, wind erosion and marsquakes
may all have
shaped the region.
Melas Chasma lies along the central southern edge of
the large Valles Marineris, the
grand canyon of Mars.
While the
Valles Marineris is itself over 4,000 kilometers
long and up to 10 kilometers deep, the region pictured
spans about 70 kilometers.
The floor of Melas Chasma seen here is several
kilometers below
the surrounding plateau.